She Asked For It
by Sorrow Reminisce
Summary: Based on Pai's NWP challenge: Alec catches sight of that little handholding garbage at the end of FN and decides to help Max stick to her guns to keep her distance from Logan... (M/A UST)
1. Chapter 1

_**The Challenge: **Alec catches sight of that little hand-holding garbage at the end of FN and decides to help Max stick to her guns to keep her distance from Logan. He proceeds to give the boyfriend of the century performance complete with public displays of affection and pet names. Max has to take it or tell Log the truth. M/A share an apartment for space's sake in TC and Log somehow is able to stay to see the show by way of transgenic transfusions. (Challenge created by Pai & found at Nuns With Pens)_

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**She Asked For It **

**by Sorrow**

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Alec was mortified. It wasn't simply the fact that Max was standing beside him, holding Logan's hand. Hell, if she wanted to play those kinda games with the man who couldn't come within a foot of her without all but donning a full body condom, that was her dealio. Who was he to stand in her way? He'd warned her enough about the risk in letting Logan remain in her life; her choice if she wanted to disregard his advice.

But to give her shining paramour the impression _he_ was seeing Max, to have the man think him the bad guy, to grow used to wearing that kind of false name and get all comfortable in the kind of smug satisfaction it provoked… And _then_ go and hold Logan's hand and kick start the poor man's false hope all over again?

Worst of all, have the residents of Terminal City think Wonder-Legs had won a girl away from the Marvellous Monty Cora! Now, that hurt.

Not that anyone outside of Original Cindy was aware of their false relationship, anyway...

"Saw Robo-Legs with your girl back there."

Alec groaned inwardly as Mole's gruff and slightly patronizing voice caught him on the stairwell. "She's not my girl."

He picked up his pace a little, in no mood for having to explain himself - or Max - to anyone else right now. Hell, he was having a hard enough time trying to explain the situation to himself.

"Could've fooled me." Mole chuffed, "Gotta be a slap to the ego, huh?"

"Nope." Wincing as Mole's remark went straight to the bulls-eye, Alec forced casual indifference into his voice. "Like I said, she's not my girl."

And that was the bleak truth of it. Max may have conveniently used him as the scapegoat for her failed 'relationship' with Logan, but it was only a farce. A ridiculous charade they awkwardly acted out in Logan's presence for the sake of keeping up appearances. But it wasn't like he would confide any of this to Mole.

"Well, I wouldn't stand for it if I were you." Mole's persistence was setting Alec's teeth on edge. He gritted them and pushed open the ground floor door, half hoping it would slam in the transhuman's face and shut him on the other side.

"Hey!" Mole's shout from behind caused Alec to stop and make a slow turn, turning his eyes skyward in exasperation.

"Just tellin' you this in the hope you'll grow some balls and stop lettin' the girl make a fool outta you. Just trying to help is all."

Alec opened his mouth to reply, but saw Max appear in the stairwell behind Mole, Logan in tow. Shrugging indifference, he turned and strode across the crumbling foyer, out into the street. A stiff drink was out there, with his name on it.

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The Ark was full of transgenics celebrating their stand for freedom. Alec sat alone at a corner table, feet on the stool opposite and back against the wall as he toyed with his glass of scotch, scowl on face. Across the room, Max laughed alongside Original Cindy and Sketchy, while Logan stood behind her, a bewildered smile on his face at a joke missed. Alec rolled his eyes and began to rap a beat upon the table with his fingers, his irritation mounting.

At the table to his left an X5 brunette glanced periodically in his direction, a smile of invitation dancing upon her lips whenever he turned his head towards her. Alec considered the temptation to cross to her side and whisper a suggestion in her ear, but something about her appearance was putting him off. Perhaps it was the bone straight dark hair. Reminded him too much of the source of his vexation.

Besides, what could he do? Take her home to the apartment he shared with _Max_? Right. Max may have held Logan's glove-clad hand today, but until he had confirmation that she'd told Logan the truth, he didn't want to appear the guy who had not only stolen Max from under Logan's nose, but proceeded to cheat on her under their roof. Frustrated, Alec rubbed a hand across his forehead and winced at his own newly-developed conscience. Why should he care anyway?

But he did. And he was angry that Max had put him in this predicament. Unable to even pick up a one night stand because she had wanted a quick exit from her so-called relationship. A lost-cause relationship she now seemed all too happy to resume again. In it's hands-off-unless-gloved 'we're not like that anyhow' kind of way.

Mole was right. She was making him look the fool.

_Well_, he pondered smugly as he watched Logan exit stage left to use the Gents. _Two can play that game._

**ll l lll ll l lll ll l lll ll l lll**

"As I recall, you and I are meant to have a _thing_ going on?"

Max felt her skin tingle (with irritation of course) as Alec's whisper caressed the nape of her neck. She ducked her head away, frowning as she bent further over her drink. "Uh-huh. And your point is?"

Alec stopped. He'd been prepared for her to tell him their deception was over; that he no longer had any weird kind of moral obligation to keep his hands off other girls in Logan's presence. But no, she was still maintaining the lie of this false relationship, while leading Logan along like a little puppy on a leash. It was enough to make a guy sick.

"My point is, _sweetie_, we have a ruse to maintain." Slipping an arm around her waist as he saw Logan approach from the corner of his eye, Alec leant in closer. "Don't we?"

Max stiffened as Alec's insinuation sank in. Then she became aware of Logan, likewise frozen, three steps away.

"Logan buddy!" Still with his arm around Max's waist, Alec flashed a cheerful grin to the cyber-journalist. "Didn't realise you were still here. Maxie and I were just talkin' about heading home for an early -"

"You know Alec, how 'bout _you _head home?" Max cut in as she disengaged herself from Alec's embrace, a tight smile clenched between her jaws. "I'm not really tired, so I'll catch up with ya later."

"Oh?" Alec raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But hun, you just as good as told me you were keen for a quick get-away and a slooow -"

"Go home Alec!" A slight sheen of perspiration had broken across Max's forehead, and with her back to Logan, she mouthed silent pleas.

Alec chuckled at Max's discomfort and opened his mouth, but his words were replaced with a small yelp as Max gripped his arm and dug her fingers into muscle, steering him towards the door. "Here, let me walk you out."

Plastering an endearing smile across his face as he patted Max's white knuckled clasp, Alec allowed himself to be turned away from the table, winking at Logan as they passed. Once out of earshot, Max hissed, "what the hell was all that about?"

Disentangling himself, Alec brushed at the invisible talon-marks on his sleeves and adopted an innocent facade "What d'ya mean Max? I'm just doing my bit with this whole fake relationship ruse you sank me into a few days back, remember?"

As they broke out into the cold air, Alec stopped at the doorway and turned towards Max, scooting closer as he spotted Logan across the bar, watching their exchange. "Figured it best we show some affection towards each other. I mean, we don't want Logan realising he's been duped, right?"

"I don't think it's necessary Alec." Max scowled and began to step back, but Alec caught her about the waist and tugged her closer, his eyes cool. "Oh, I do _sweetie-pie_. Affection's an integral part of any normal relationship. Or so I've been told. So I think it's gonna have to be necessary if you wanna keep Loggie-boy from staying on in Terminal City - gettin' himself all lovesick and toxic-chemical sick in the process."

"Why do I get the feeling there's an 'or else' heading my way?" Max pushed against Alec's chest in effort to escape his so-called 'embrace' and let out a grunt of impatience as he refused to let go.

"You're right Maxie!" Catching her hands between his own to stop her from fighting - and to play out the parody of intimacy for their one person audience - Alec could barely contain his gleeful smile. "See, if you're not willing to carry on playing this game you started, you're gonna have to tell Logan you lied to him. About us."

Max glowered, at loss for words as she realised Alec was trying to force her into telling Logan the truth at last, knowing she'd never agree to 'play along' with their relationship ruse. Damn that boy was good.

"Why the hell are you doing this Alec? Can't you just let things be as they are until…"

"Until what Max? Until the cure for the virus is miraculously found? Until Logan's dead?" Alec's expression was incredulous. "I mean, how much longer do I have to pretend to every damn soul in this place that I'm with you? How long will you deny me the opportunity to have a relationship of my own?"

Max looked away, ashamed at the realisation of the sacrifice she'd asked Alec to make for her sake. "Fine. I'll tell him the truth."

"Good." Alec released Max and turned her towards the bar, pushing her forward slightly. "Now run along and do it quick before the girl who's making 'come hither' eyes at me leaves with someone else."

"No!"

"What?" Alec groaned and leaned against the door frame. "For Pete's sake… What now?"

"Give me a day to prepare myself." Anxious, Max tugged at Alec's arm as she spotted Logan making his way through the crowd towards them. "Just one day okay? I need to think about how I'll tell him."

Alec rolled his eyes skyward as Logan reached the door and stopped two feet from Max's side. At once he switched mood - or appeared to - and stepped forward to envelope her in a quick hug. "No worries _sugar-cake. _I'll give you some time to think about my proposition."

Releasing Max, Alec gave Logan a friendly slap on the shoulder (which left the man still rubbing it five minutes later) and added, "Don't let sweet-cheeks stay out too long. I'll be waiting up for her…"

Logan waited until Alec had turned the corner out of sight before asking in a worried tone, "What's this about a proposition?"

"Don't worry." Grimacing, Max stepped carefully past Logan and back into the warmth of the busy bar.

The anxious inquisitor turned tail and followed. "And what's with all the cheesy pet names?"

"Don't ask."

_Tomorrow_. Max told herself. _I am definitely going to sort this all out - tomorrow._

Meanwhile, she intended to spend the night draining The Ark of it's precious beer supply.

**- x x x -**

**END NOTE: **Thanks to Pai's fan fic challenge which sparked a fleeting moment of inspiration. Hope you guys found this okay. It's been a long, looong time since I've tried my hand at anything more than a chapter edit or the upload of something written years ago and never posted:P - now if only I could be inspired to close off some of those long-standing WIPs I have floating around out there...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: **Thanks to those who have left their feedback, :) I'm really hoping the inspiration to write will stick around and allow me to finish the WIPs I have out there (yeah I say this all the time - usually as I begin a new fic). But seriously, daughter number two is going to be born in three months, and although I wrote my largest volume of fan fiction while sleep deprived, this is going to be a whole new hands on level of sleep and sanity deprivation which will leave little care or co-ordination for typing (thinking, eating, breathing…) Ironically, baby daddy just went out the other day and bought us a new computer. I tried to advise him we will soon have no time to LOOK at the computer let alone fire it up, but that's men for ya. Can't reason with 'em. Can't stick a paper bag over their head and call them A_lec.

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**She Asked For It - Chapter Two**

**by Sorrow**

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The day following Alec and Max's exchange of pleasantries, Alec ran through the morning routine of shower, shave and breakfast, all the while aware that his Max/Logan/Alec love triangle dilemma was still number one priority on his mind. A disturbing thought, considering he had to mission it into greater Seattle that day for supplies. In which case, his number one priority _should _be getting laid, staying alive, and making it safely back to Terminal City with the booty. In that order.

Patting his face dry with the morning shave done, Alec wandered into the decaying kitchen he shared with Max, pulled out the camp cooker and set about organizing a good old-fashioned bacon and egg fry up. Minus the bacon, because such a luxury was all but non-existent even for Alec's contacts in this post-pulse world. And, he realised as he pulled the six pack of eggs out of the pantry, minus the eggs. Because each one had Max's name written on it in black marker pen.

Perplexed, Alec returned the eggs to the pantry and grabbed a lonely box of cereal. **_MAX _**sprawled across the packet caused him to snatch his hand away as if burnt. He spied half a loaf of bread in a plastic bag. Seizing it, he reached with his other hand for a mini jar of peanut butter and banged them down onto the kitchen bench. Black writing left him curling his fist in frustration. Both items had a familiar, and at this point much hated, name scrawled across them. As an added bonus, the bread bag had been marked to indicate how many slices were remaining.

"MAX!" Alec charged through the little apartment and burst into the bedroom which adjoined the lounge. "What's with this?" He demanded, pulling the blankets back from Max's sleeping form and waving the bread bag before her.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Max shook her head and peered groggily at the object in question. "Bread?" She offered hopefully.

"No, what's with THIS?" Alec thrust the bag back towards her face and pointed out the name scribbled across the bag.

"Hmm let's see. M - A - X… Alec, I thought you could spell?" Max's lips twitched with stifled glee as she made effort to push the item away and roll towards the wall.

"Is this your cute way of getting revenge on me? By staking out everything in this damn place as your own? God, I'm surprised my shaving cream didn't have your name on it!"

"Well actually, if you'd been paying more attention…"

"Don't ya think it's just a bit childish Max? I have as much right to what's here as you do, you know."

"DO you now Alec?" Max sat up, her eyes fiery. "Maybe I'm just trying to remind you of all the favours I've been doing YOU lately, huh? Letting you stay here in the apartment I'd cleared out for myself. Letting you sponge off me - "

"Sponge off you?!"

"Yes Alec! Sponge off me! You're like a boy in a perpetual state of puberty! Eating everything in the pantry like you own it all, whining like a little kid when you can't get your own way with the TV channels, using up all the limited hot water and leaving god-knows-what kind of hair in the plughole…"

Alec stared like a stunned mullet, bug-eyed and mouth gaping at Max's tirade. Finally as her 'mwaap mwaap mwaaps' wound down, he rubbed a finger in his ear as if to clear it out and said, "come on Max, you're just pissed because I won't play your game anymore."

She puffed. "Am not."

Frowning in disbelief, Alec stood and began to deliver his comeback, when he was interrupted by the creak of the front door opening.

"Hello? Hey it's me Max. You awake?"

Alec shook his head against his hands and laughed dryly. "Oh, this is fantastic." Then, seized by a sudden inspiration, he peeled off his t-shirt and flung it onto the floor, his jeans following quick suite.

"Alec!" Max hissed, aghast. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We're in here Logan!" Alec yelled as he roughly shoved Max along the mattress and jumped into bed beside her. Footsteps creaked against the floorboards as Alec pulled the blankets to his torso, grabbed the hands that were trying frantically to push him from the bed, and held them firmly around his waist.

The footsteps hesitated outside the bedroom door. "Can I come in?" The voice cracked, apprehensive.

"Yeah sure, we'd barely gotten started." Alec grinned as it became Max's turn to gape in horror.

Logan stepped into the room, his eyes registering hurt and barely-disguised shock as they fell upon what appeared to be a gloating, satisfied Alec, lying alongside an awkward and embarrassed Max. Caught no doubt, in the act.

"What can we do for you buddy?" Alec chipped up, ignoring the fingers which dug sharply against his flesh. Was she actually _growling _beneath her breath?

"Well actually, I came to speak to Max. About eh, well she asked me to come see her this morning. Last night that is." Logan glared at Max, a red flush of humiliation making it's way across his face from neck up. "You had something to say to me, Max?"

Logan laughed without humour and shook his head. "But it's okay, I get it. You're with Alec. You know, you didn't need to go this far to prove your point." His gazed passed from one X5 to the other. "I could've thought of a kinder way to tell me I was wrong."

Spinning on his heel, Logan almost collided into the bedroom door in his haste to exit the room. In a few short strides he was closing the front door behind him, leaving stunned silence in his wake.

Of course, the silence was short lived.

"You _idiot_!" Max wrenched her hands from Alec's grasp and shoved him to the floor with one great heave before smashing a pillow down over his head. "_You stupid thoughtless idiot!_"

Cowering against her enraged pillow assault, Alec scrambled away and snatched up his jeans and t-shirt, backing towards the door in the process.

Flinging the pillow across the room, Max leapt from the bed and slammed the door shut before Alec had a chance to make a break for it. Eyes blazing in anger, she shoved him against the frame and continued to shove at him as she launched her tirade. "What the hell did ya have to go and do that for? I told you last night I'd tell him the truth! Why do you think he turned up here so early? How the hell am I s'posed to fix this now?"

Realising that in his effort to get one back at Max, he'd essentially cocked up his own chance at freeing himself from her, Alec did the one thing he knew to do in such a situation; adapted the perfect expression of egotism for which he was named, teamed with a nonchalant shrug. "Well what can I say Max? You asked for it."

With that, he took her firmly by the shoulders and pushed her back towards the bed, then calmly made his exit from the room. Only stopping to wince at his own foolishness once he'd shut the door behind him.

Of course she'd asked for this. She'd brought it all on herself by using him as her scapegoat in the first place. And although Logan's sudden arrival this morning had offered Alec the perfect chance to patch up the old damaged ego she'd inflicted upon him these last few days, he'd now been escorted with his own lesson in humility - and figuratively shot himself in the foot in the process.

_You started this. _He thought as he glared at the graffitied peanut butter jar left out on the bench. Although at this point, he wasn't sure who the accusation was directed at. Either way, someone was going to have to finish it. But would his ego really allow him to be the one to do it?


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: Jeeze, poor Alec's put up with a lot of flack from Max and Logan, wouldn't you think? Time to give the boy a chance to vent some shit..._

_I hope you enjoy. And remember folk, as much as fanfiction helps to keep the fandom alive, __feedback__ helps to keep the fanfiction rolling! Would love to hear what you think of this fic. Constructive criticism welcome :)_

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**She Asked For It - Chapter 3**

**by Sorrow**

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Max and Alec had managed to avoid each other all morning. Something Alec was profoundly grateful for – he had a contact at a bulk food warehouse willing to trade transgenic muscle power for enough grocery products to last a fortnight – not that Max knew exactly what the trade-off entailed. It was one of those situations where the less she knew, the better off Alec's limbs would be. Besides, the last thing he needed right now was her bleating in his face again about how sad and depressing and lonely her existence was without Loggie there to stroke her with his latex-gloved hands, or… whatever.

All preparations in place, Alec headed down a corridor to fetch the supply list when he was jolted to a halt by a hand grabbing his arm, and he was spun around to find himself face to face with the woman who was increasingly becoming the bane of his existence.

"Ow!" He yelped, wrenching his arm away and nursing it as if it were broken. "What's with the _pinching_!?"

"Fix it Alec!" Max's eyes were twin balls of black flame, as anger radiated off her in waves. "Fix. It. Now!"

Alec glanced about, then replied with wide-eyed innocence, "what, your bike?"

"Oww!" The resounding smack left him nursing both an arm and a head now, and he held up balled fists before him, ready to deflect any further blows. "Geezus woman, would ya stop hitting on me!"

They both froze, each wearing twin expressions of horror at Alec's choice of words. To compound the problem, a certain meddlesome transhuman chose that moment to rock up beside them, chuckling with glee as he basked in the awkwardness before him. "Hello lovebirds." He chortled. "Think maybe you can save this foreplay til later? Privacy of a bedroom perhaps?"

"Uh, gross." Max blanched, then noticed Alec had his guard down and whacked him across the head again. "Dumbass!"

With Mole's words from the previous day repeating in his head, Alec turned a radiant smile on Max, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders; tucking her close as he caught her hands in his own. "What can I say Mole, she's insatiable!" Grimacing as she clawed her fingers into his palms, he added, "And a real firecat in the... Uh... _Oof!_ So what can we do for you Mole?"

Mole looked from one to the other, wide beam on his face as he laughed at the joke of the century before him. "Supply run in 10. Remember?"

"Mmm-hmm." Alec's reply came through clenched teeth now. Who knew Chinese burns could hurt _so_ much?

Feeling he'd stirred the cauldron of unrest enough for one morning, Mole sauntered away, leaving Max to wrangle herself out of Alec's grasp and shove him backwards. "The hell was that in aid of?"

Alec shrugged and shot her a coy smile. "Seemed like the fun thing to do."

Glowering at his attempt to look cute, she snapped, "Why are you in my life Alec!"

"Because _you_ won't leave me alone!" he hissed, rubbing his tender wrists and bleeding palms.

"_I_ won't leave _you_? Are you high!" Completely inflamed, Max's voice began to gain momentum. "I can't get you away from _me_! You're in my face every day! Yappity yap with that annoying voice of yours! Your in my apartment, in my fridge, now you're even in my bed! Everywhere I go, you're always there! Yapping, yapping yapping... _I can't get you out of my head!"_

Max stopped, mortified. Seeing an opportunity to further rile her up, Alec grinned wickedly as he tugged her closer and lowered his voice to a silky smooth husk. "Well gee Max, if you'd told me you've been feeling this way..."

But Max was paying no attention, instead she continued to stare over his shoulder. Wide-eyed. Frozen. Slowly, the X5 turned his head and followed her gaze, knowing who was standing there even before laying eyes on him.

Logan.

The cyber-journalist had turned the corner with an armload of printouts in his hands, and had happened upon the tail end of Max's tirade.

Aware of how her hands still curled around Alec's biceps and his hands had slipped around her waist, Max jumped backwards, suddenly looking like a kid caught with her hand in the candy jar.

Logan refused to meet her eyes, instead ducking his head to school his expression as he resumed his approach, paperwork held out before him. Thrusting the stack into Alec's hands, he muttered to the air between them, "Mole sent me to give you these." Then with clenched jaw, he spun on his heels and strode away.

"Well." Alec paused to clear his throat, determined to ignore the broken expression on Max's face. For all that he inwardly thrived on the intensity of their arguments, her anger had offended him this time. Wasn't she always coming to _him_ for help these days? Wasn't it _her_ demand for help that landed them in this stupid mess in the first place?

"I'd say it's your turn to fix _that_ one up. _Sweetie_."

Then he glanced down at the paperwork. Intel reports. Supply sheets. She could deal with it herself. For a change. Shoving it all against her limp unwilling hands, he let it slip to the floor around her, and brushed past her.

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Alec walked into Command with the intention of pulling Logan to one side, and setting him straight. Of course, he half-hoped hoped the man would've just taken off back to Sandeman's old house to lick his wounds, thus saving him the effort of having to deal head on with the problem... But he was resolved to fix the mess he'd inadvertently turned into an even bigger mess. If he had to go another day without sex or peanut butter, or with Max snarling at him even worse than usual, he was likely gonna start pulling teeth.

To Alec's complete lack of surprise, Logan was back on the bridge with Dix and Luke, helping to salvage a surveillance camera that had been taken out by a vigilante beer bottle the night before.

_Not that they can't take care of that themselves_. Alec huffed to himself, knowing Logan's true reason for being there was so he could continue fawning over Max. _Man can't take a hint, even when it's half naked and huggin' his ex._

Much as he wanted Logan to know the truth about the fake relationship, seeing the guy still in Terminal City and casting looks of longing around the room as he sought Max out, made Alec bristle in annoyance. Did the cyber-journalist think he was so much better than him, that he'd brush aside the very fact he'd caught them in bed together, and _still_ hang around thinking he had a fat chance in hell?

"Got something small and furry caught in your throat Alec?"

The voice broke the X5 out of his reverie and he turned to find Mole standing at his shoulder, staring in the same direction as he, with a knowing gleam in his red-rimmed eyes.

"What?"

"Not sure if you're aware of it Princess, but you're practically _growling_." The transhuman flicked his head towards the bridge. "Wonder-Legs up there not catching the drift, huh?"

"Something like that." Alec muttered, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to disperse his frustration. "Look Mole, there's nothing going on between me and Max. It was all just a stupid ruse to try and push Logan away. Blame Max. Her dumb idea."

"Ya don't say." Mole face twitched into a reptilian smirk. "All just a game, huh?"

"What are you gettin' at?" Alec hissed, as he spotted Max entering the room; black rain clouds hanging over her head.

"Oh, nothin'. Nothin' at all." Slapping his shoulder with a chuckle, Mole sauntered away, leaving Alec alone in the middle of the room, with a still-furious Max veering straight in his direction.

Knowing he had to get to that bridge and set Logan straight before the storm caught up and broke over him, Alec sprung up the steps, grabbed Logan by the arm and guided him to one side. "Look man, I've gotta come clean."

Frowning like a disapproving parent when faced with an unruly child, Logan folded his arms across his chest and lifted an eyebrow. "What, you're gonna tell me you have a problem with monogamy and can't figure out how to tell Max? Cause I'm not sure I'm the right person to ask, Alec. I had more respect for her than that."

Counting to ten beneath his breath, Alec reigned in the urge to smack the smug from Logan's face. "There's nothing going on with me and Max."

The words had become surprisingly hard to force between his teeth. Much as he didn't want Logan believing him to be the bad guy stealin' his girlfriend from under his exo-legs, he found himself even more reluctant to let the human think he was better than him. That he was more _capable_ than him. Still... It had to be done. "Max just let you believe it - she wanted to keep you safe."

"To keep me safe, huh?" Logan's eyes narrowed, skepticism still firmly in place. "And who's going to keep her safe from _you_?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alec's hackles rose - or would, if he had any. "What the hell kinda guy do you think I am?"

"Really want me to answer that, Alec?" Logan dropped his voice. Not that it did much good when every person present had superhuman hearing. "I mean, asides from a dirt bag, a womaniser and a criminal, what more do you want me to say?"

The tension in the room was matched only by the absolute quiet. Aware that all eyes were trained on them, Alec took a deep breath and employed every Manticore-trained tactic he knew, to bring his anger under control. This was it. The culmination of months and months of pent up rivalry between himself and Logan. He knew it, Logan knew it, and now Max could take that information and do what she liked with it. He was done.

A movement from below caused him to glance behind him, and he saw Max was now on the stairs, doe-eyes imploring him to back down. Behind her, fifteen more pairs of eyes waited for him to bring the human to his knees - teach him a lesson about challenging someone who was so clearly and unofficially their leader. He could lose the respect of his fellow transgenics, or he could lose the respect of a woman who'd never respected him in the first place. Wasn't a tough choice.

_God, I'm whipped. _Schooling his face back into an expression that implied life was a joke, he turned back to Logan and casually threw him some more suggestions. "Well you forgot to mention I'm unreliable, untrustworthy, and unworthy in general... I'm a loser, a screw up... Oh, and it was only my selfish sense of self-preservation that kept me alive at Manticore for so long. Which, when you think about it, is probably a good thing, being that my self-preservation is what gets regular supplies into Terminal City."

Alec paused and sucked in a breath, realizing the resentment and anger that had been building a slow fire within him for far too long, was rapidly unleashing; and he was strangely unwilling to stop it. A hand took his arm and he pushed it away - shook it off harder when he realised it belonged to Max.

"Cause we all know, I wouldn't bother helping with supplies at all if it weren't for my own rumbling stomach. Right? Hell, I'd sell my comrades down the river in a heartbeat if I could profit from the sale. I take what I want and who I want, without thought to how it effects anyone else. And, I'm _just_ the kind of jerk to take another man's girl." Turning to Max at last, he pinned her with a steel stare and added, "Isn't that right, Max?"

The words stopped tumbling from his mouth then, as he stared at Max, waiting for her to confirm or deny. She glanced from him to Logan, before dropping her gaze to the floor. Her eyes were full of shame, but her jaw still clenched against the admission. "I think you've said enough Alec."

"Yeah." He swallowed. Hard. Tried to choke down the bitter pill that had lodged itself within his throat. "I think I've said enough for us all."

And then he pushed past her, descended the stairs in a rush and strode from Command. He had a supply run to carry out. And somewhere in greater Seattle was a stiff drink, and a willing body. In that order.

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**TBC... **

**Feedback appreciated! :)**


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